Probably the most memorable moment of the 80s occurred on January 28, 1986. At
about 73 seconds into it's ninth launch, the space shuttle Challenger exploded
in full view of the people watching on the ground and on TV. The O-rings, a
set of gaskets that sealed the joints between the rocket booster sections
failed due to being exposed to cold weather. The twin booster rockets
separated and flew off, the shuttle cabin separated and fell ten miles into
the ocean. All seven members of the shuttle crew died. After the explosion,
shuttle flights were delayed until 1988, and NASA announced civilians would
no longer be allowed on shuttle flights (though civilians have been in space
in the nineties).

The members of the crew were:

Commander Francis Scobee

Michael Smith

Ellison Onizuka

Ronald McNair

Judith Resnik

Gregory Jarvis

Christa McAuliffe

The video footage is the most haunting thing about this moment. It was
played over and over again throughout the day after the explosion. The
strangest part is you couldn't just see it once, it was such a shock that
you could just sit transfixed by it for almost an hour at a time. I think
this event for "Children of the 80s" is
the equivalent to the Boomers' JFK shooting. Everyone seems to remember
where they were when it occurred, and the shock is almost as severe.
Tragedies have occurred before in the space program, but none quite so
dramatic, and none involving civilians.